We never really expected to write about something like this, but Automaton Media has reported a rather unusual fan fact. kirby card game. That seems relatively harmless on its own, despite the fact that it’s a card game featuring Kirby, a fairly large Nintendo property, which was being sold in the Japanese market BOOTH, but when we tell you there’s a microbikini-clad Chef Kawasaki , you could raise an eyebrow.
Chef Kawasaki Karuta Micro Bikini it is based on ‘karuta’, a type of Japanese playing card that Portuguese merchants introduced to the country in the 17th century. There are two types of karuta: Uta-Garuta, the first works with a much larger deck and the second is more aimed at children. Nintendo itself used to sell these types of cards as far back as the 1890s. Tofuga has an excellent rundown of what karuta cards are if you’re curious about the details.
So how does Chef Kawasaki, the popular Kirby character who made his Kirby Super Star debut, fit into all of this? And in a micro bikini, of all things? Apparently, he’s a bit of a meme. Kawasaki only wears an apron, usually, so fans’ imaginations must have run wild thinking about what this great chef actually wears to stay warm. And, apparently, he is a micro bikini.
You can see what the card game looks like at the top of the game. official twitter pagebut it’s exactly as you’d expect… In the meantime, this is what Kawasaki officially looks like:
The first pack went on sale just a few days ago in Japan, both in physical and digital format. But as of today, September 28, the game is no longer available to purchase. The creators of the card game revealed that the game had been withdrawn from stores, with @KWSKkaruta also indicating that it would be stopping the distribution.
It is likely that HAL Laboratory, which makes most of the Kirby games these days, has requested that the game be removed. Nintendo (and by extension its associated companies and studios) are notoriously strict about how their trademarks can be used, but even so, you can’t create something using one of the company’s IPs and sell it without Nintendo’s permission.
Forget it then! Though we’d love to see Nintendo make even more physical card games, perhaps with Kawasaki on their apron.
